


Spare Room

by destinedtohope



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Winter Soldier (Comics)
Genre: F/M, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, spare room, winter soldier - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-24
Updated: 2015-08-24
Packaged: 2018-04-17 00:41:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4646001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/destinedtohope/pseuds/destinedtohope
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post-Cap 2, Bucky Barnes winds up in a bar in Connecticut and the reader takes pity on "James" offering him a place to stay.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Spare Room

**Author's Note:**

> Based off this prompt on Tumblr: Imagine finding Bucky after TWS events and offering him a place to stay.

Working in a bar in Connecticut, you saw all different types of characters. There were loud ones that never shut up, Mr Flirt who’s attempts at attracting you declined as the night progressed, the Creepster who said nothing but watched you all night, his eyes wandering placed they shouldn’t. There were the cocky guys who thought they were God’s gift to the universe and the guys that almost always caused mass destruction during their drinking games, leaving you with endless amounts of cleaning to do at the end of your ridiculously long shift. Regardless, you were a pro at instantly identifying which kind of idiot you would have to deal with that night. 

Except for that one guy in the corner.

Dressed in black, a hat over his longish dark brown hair, eyes permanently cast downwards, he had come in eight days in a row to order his regular beer, paying the usual price but leaving it untouched at the end of the night. He didn’t take part in fights, never associated with the other customers, preferring only to sit and observe.

To an innocent bystander, he would have looked like some sorry bastard, sulking about a bad breakup. It was his eyes that gave him away, always assessing, calculating the risks. There was also the hunted look, wary of others, never fully relaxing, constantly on edge as he glanced up warily everytime the bell at the door jangled. All the other waitresses steadily avoided him and your senses screamed that he was danger just waiting to happen. But again it was the eyes that captured you. Underneath the tough, hardened exterior was a deep sense of hurt and betrayal. He didn’t seem very old maybe in his late twenties, early thirties but he seemed to have experienced a lifetime of sorrow. 

He had puzzled you and by now your curiosity was through the roof. Normally he would leave his beer intact, exactly half an hour before closing time, but tonight you almost missed him just as you were doing the final cleaning up. 

Tonight he looked worse than ever, you could see the dark circles under his eyes from where you were. Walking over, you placed a fresh glass of beer on the table in front of him. 

His head lifted. ‘I can’t pay for it.'

‘Don’t worry, its on the house,’ you reassured him, smiling. 

‘Thanks,’ he mumbled, looking up at you for the first time. ‘…(Y/N)'

You beamed, happy that this was one of the times that you actually remembered to put your name tag on.

‘Just let me know if you need anything else.'

He flashed a small semblance of a smile and his head when down again. You were about to leave when he began coughing harshly. 

‘Are you alright?’ You leaned over slightly, just about to put your hand on his arm but deciding against it. 

‘Yeah..Just cold outside.’ He muttered, crossing his arms.

You stood there for a moment, thinking to yourself.

‘Do you have a place to sleep tonight?’

There was hesitation on his part before he shook his head, launching into another fit of coughing.  

Then throwing everything you learnt about stranger danger out the window, you posed him with your next question. 

‘Do you need a place to stay? My room mate just moved out a few weeks ago and I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with the spare room. You’re welcome to use it if you want.'

He looked up at you, his face seeming more haggard than before. 

‘Why would you help me? You barely know me. How do you know you can trust me?'

‘Because you’re different,’ you answered after a moment. ‘If you wanted to do something bad, you would have done it already.’ 

You allowed for a slight pause before continuing.

‘So what do you say? I mean my place isn’t much but it’ll be warm, there’ll be a bed, blankets...'

For a long moment he didn’t answer. 

‘I suppose a bed does sound good.'

 

******************

 

‘Well, here we are.’ You flicked on the lights to your small apartment and immediately set your things down.The car ride had been almost silent despite your attempts at idle chatter, but you put this down to tiredness. Grabbing the bed linen, you rushed to prepare the spare room for whatsisname. You stopped.

_What was his name?_

‘Excuse my manners,’ you said, returning to the entryway where the man was standing, glancing hesitantly around your home. ‘but I don’t actually know your name.'

‘Oh… My name is Bu-,’ he stopped abruptly and seemed to gather himself. ‘James. My name is James'

‘Well James,’ you replied, showing him to the spare room.’You can sleep in here and the bathroom is through that door. I’ll be right down the hall if you need me.’ You pointed to your own room door. 

He said nothing, just stared at the bed and the room and you shifted nervously, at a loss of what to do. 

After an awkward pause, you nodded to yourself. 

‘Goodnight then, James.'

You were just about to leave when he spoke. 

‘(Y/N)... thank you.’ He regarded you with a slight nod. 

You nodded, giving him a small smile. 

You had a good feeling about this. 


End file.
